Emotional Mentalism by Luca VolpeCost$113 (US) for the limited edition deluxe hardback version, $55.99 for the .pdf (I think there may a paperback edition coming out at some point too). Available by sending the appropriate amount to Luca through PayPal to
INFO@LUCAVOLPE.COM"
If you want the limited edition book, I suggest you e-mail Luca first to make sure one is available (he replied extremely quickly to me).
Difficulty(1=easy to do, 2=No sleights, but not so easy, 3=Some sleights used,
4=Advanced sleights used, 5=Suitable for experienced magicians only)
For method, 2 to 3, depending upon the trick. For effective presentation, 2 to 4.
ReviewThis is a book on promoting emotional response in mentalism. It primarily deals with Luca's approach to psychic parties, and much of the material is based on crystal lore/healing/therapy. This might not suit all mentalism performers and, while theoretically a "psychological illusionist" might be able to gain something from this book, I think Luca is right that the effects are best not performed that way.
As the book acknowledges, the methods are (largely) not original or unique, and the real benefit is in the routining, in particular establishing connections with the audience. If all you are after is some new "tricks", there are probably better places to look. If, however, you have no issues with presenting mentalism as genuine psychic activity, and particularly if you like things such as pendulum dowsing and crystal reading, this is an excellent book.
One particularly nice touch is that Luca includes a sample script, so the reader can follow exactly what happens when each routine. Obviously, you would not want to copy Luca's words precisely, but he uses the scripts to clarify the method. I think that, for these routines, this works better than pages of turgid instructions.
The deluxe version of the book is a fairly slim hard backed book, limited to 100 copies, and the first 50 orders also get a chakra crystal set as a bonus (Luca would normally sell these for $15).
I shall give a very brief summary of the effects, but please note that the book includes bonus material from a variety of well-known mentalists, some short sections on crystal lore and other New Age subjects that are dotted around the book (these are detailed enough to allow you to present the routines as written, although I think you would be wise to do some further reading on the subject) and even a list of New Age shops in different countries.
Crystal Psychometry
As you might guess from the title, this is a pseudo-psychometry routine using crystals. The method is fairly standard, but the routine is structured well.
The Sound of Dreams
This is a short Q&A style routine, using three envelopes and a Tibetan Singing Bowl (although a different container could be used in its place). Again, the method is not revolutionary, but this is a nice presentation of a classic mentalism effect, if you don’t want to spend ages doing Q&A.
Emotional Energy
I think that this is a really special effect. It is not going to fit well into many standard mentalism acts, but is designed for psychic parties or parlour shows. While the book does not particularly use new methods, this one was unknown to me. I liked the theme, the audience engagement and the "spectator as mind reader" plot. It was probably my favourite thing in the book.
Back in Time (Past Life Regression)
In spite of the title, this is not really a hypnotic regression. I'd say it has more in common with things such as
The Midnight Side of the Mind by Paul Voodini. There is a trick, which uses a couple of standard mentalism methods. One of the methods is tweaked a little, and Luca wonders if it is original. I am fairly sure I have seen it somewhere else, but have e-mailed him about it (as Luca requests in the book).
The Stone of Destiny
Luca’s take on the "which hand is it in" plot. This routine has some nice extra touches that elevate it above a guessing game by using crystals.
Astral Projection (Out of Body Experience)
This is another "spectator as mind reader" effect (or more accurately, "spectator as remote viewer"). The participant has an out of body experience, in which he describes something drawn by the performer. There is a gimmicked version, which is more reliable, but also an ungimmicked version for those who don't mind the occasional miss (or who happen to have come out without the necessary item). The gimmick needed is a very common one.
Dream Prediction
A very clever piece, in which the performer seems to have predicted someone's dreams for a week. As you need to give the prediction and a "dream journal" to the participant in advance, it's largely only suitable for psychic parties, or other functions where you can ask someone to record their dreams for a while.
Energy Portal
This is more of a performance piece than a trick, involving a sort of energy cleansing ceremony with a pyramid and a pendulum, so it might not appeal to most performers (even those who don't mind going down the psychic performer path) . There is a good effect along the way.
As well as these items, you get various New Age "primers", as mentioned above, plus bonus material from Pablo Amira, Scott Grossberg, Bryn Reynolds and Neal Scryer. Some of these have been in print elsewhere, I think, but I hadn't read any of them.
Overall10/10, if you are happy with the nature of the material and the presentation required.
I think this is an excellent book. Luca has a great way of structuring routines not only to create an emotional link with the audience, but also with a view to marketing and being hired to do future events. I think this book will be more than worth the money to someone who does psychic parties or similar events. If you have no interest in that sort of thing, you might still get something out of this book. If you have nothing but scorn for New Age beliefs, I think you should steer clear!
While not directly relevant to a review, I want to say how extremely helpful Luca was in dealing with my order. He replied almost instantly and after a couple of messages back and forth, he sent my book that same day, and it arrived the next.
I will also mention that, obviously, English is not Luca's first language, and the book does contain some small slips. There was nothing major and bearing in mind the translation issues, I think the standard was high (better than some books I have read by authors from England). I just have in mind the criticisms of Andy Nyman's excellent
Bulletproof based on a few typos.